Beth peered into the security junction box and started tracing the circuit board layout. The security system was an advanced design, if she cut the incoming security feeds or the outgoing signal feeds, an alarm would be sent to the police, if she tried to use clamps on the wires themselves the security board would record the voltage and amp fluctuations an again, alarms would be sent out.

The only way to prevent the security system from sending out an alarm to the police was to directly solder the bypass wires onto the circuit board. Tracing the correct circuit Beth expertly started to solder the wires into place.

Once she completed the wiring, Emily picked up the homemade device the wires led to. It was a simple device she had made that would record a thirty second clip of the incoming feeds and then send the looped recording to the outgoing feeds. Unless the police where monitoring the feeds in real time it should gave her enough time to complete her mission.

Beth walked over to her laptop that was plugged directly into the data feeds of New Horizons Research and Development Labs. A few typed commands and then Beth executed the program she had spent the last two months developing with a snarl of rage.

“This is for you dad.”

Beth’s father had joined the army special force right out of high school. Sent off to a pointless war, he had served with honor and dedication. Three years later an improvised explosive device took his right leg at the knee.

Tom was sent home with an honorable discharge. Only a few months later his high school sweetheart, the one he had left behind to go serve his country, showed up with a three-year-old daughter and promptly dropped her off and left.

Still recovering from his injuries, he still wanted to raise his newly found daughter correctly. Disillusioned by the war and the political incompetence he witnessed, Tom decided to raise his newly found daughter as a soldier and survivor. Enrolling her into mixed martial arts class and gymnastics courses Tom also started to teach Beth his special forces training.

Tom also used his army benefits to enroll in online college.

Beth took to training like a duck to water. Tom soon found out his daughter was a certified genius with an IQ score of over 160. She also had an eidetic memory. This became apparent when Beth mastered martial art forms just by watching training bouts.

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By the time Beth was eight she had black belts in several martial art forms, competed in and won several gymnastic competitions, and finished high school.

Her father had completed a master's degree in science and was working on a doctorate. Paranoid about Beth getting on government watch lists or having the government try to recruit her, Tom had Beth enroll in online college under an assumed identity.

This was proved to be prescience as Beth finished a master’s degree in mathematics in just three years at the age of eleven and Tom finished his PhD in applied science. Beth enrolled for her second degree, this time in computer science at another school with a new identity, as her newly graduated father was promptly hired at New Horizons Research and Development Labs.

In just two years the company had a major discovery in energy storage. Beth had quietly helped her father on the mathematical theories the new batteries were based on.

What should have been a resounding success story turned into a nightmare.

Beth snarled again as the companies entire database was sent out to competing companies, the hidden account files were sent to the IRS, and the detailed files on her father’s and her father’s research team assassinations were sent to the press.

New Horizon’s board of directors has crunched the numbers and decided the new batteries were too good at energy storage and they would collectively lose billions as the current battery industry tanked.

Just as the upload finished alarms started whaling. Grabbing her laptop Beth shoved it into her backpack and started to run toward the exit. As she neared the door it swung open and a security guard started to enter. Without hesitation Beth jumped and started a round house kick to the guard’s head. The guard barely had time to widen his eyes in surprise before the kick landed and knocked the guard out.

Completing the kick Beth landed lightly and readjusted her backpack. Jumping over the sprawled guard, Beth found herself outside the research complex. Taking off at a sprint, Beth just neared the chain length fence when shouting erupted behind her. Not looking back, Beth jumped onto the fence and started to climb. A shot rang out and before Beth could even register it a searing pain exploded in her left shoulder. Throwing herself toward the top of the fence another shot rang out and impacted her backpack shoving her over the fence. Only years of training stopped Beth form hitting the pavement headfirst.

Letting out short scream as her injured shoulder impacted the pavement, Beth was momentarily dazed. Shaking her head to clear it, Beth gathered her willpower and started to climb to her feet. Another shot rang out, this time thankfully missing her, causing Beth to take off at a dead run in a panic.

Turning into an alleyway Beth’s last sight was the bright headlights of a truck.